Digital Technologies Are The Biggest Opportunity For Cultural Industries And Creativity, Paper Says

Brussels – The Computer & Communication Industry Association, together with the European Digital Media Association, has released the paper “Technology is Culture” illustrating how the Internet and innovation act as enablers for creative industries. The paper explains how Internet technologies support the growth of creativity, cultural diversity and an unprecedented access to works.

In tune with CCIA’s Sky is Rising report from last year, cultural output, revenue and consumer spending are steadily increasing — primarily driven by digital technologies. Fundamentally important, the Internet enables complete new revenue streams, creative expressions and citizen interaction with cultural works. Among the most interesting findings in the report:

There is more diversity: the number of different artists per year featured in the Billboard Top 200 has increased from about 600 in 1999 to 1000 artists in 2010, a 67% increase.

Consumer spending on the creative sector is up 25% from 2001.

83 million Europeans uploaded self-created content to a website such as blogs in 2012, including 47% of 16 to 24 year olds.

There are more than 77,000 active contributors to Wikipedia working on more than 22,000,000 articles in over 280 languages; there are 41,000 posts a second on Facebook and 758 million photos were uploaded and shared online each day in 2013.

The following can be attributed to CCIA Brussels Director Jakob Kucharczyk:

“By any measurement, the Internet has proved a boon for the creative and cultural sector financially and in terms of creative output. Spotify, for example, has recently announced it paid out more than $2 billion in royalties to the music industry.

“The artificial polarization of Internet technologies and the creative sector is devoid of any factual and economic foundation. It is clear that digital technologies are now driving growth of creativity and cultural works. Due to ease of access and greater choice in legal online offers, consumer spending continues to increase.

“This Internet opportunity requires a fundamental, new understanding about the dynamics of the creative sector and consumer demand. Innovation drives technological progress and new ideas need space to develop. EU policymakers should bear this in mind to ensure that consumers, creators and Internet firms continue to benefit as they contemplate new legislation. Upcoming copyright reform, for example, must take Internet-enabled dynamism into account.”

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CCIA is an international not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to innovation and enhancing society’s access to information and communications. CCIA promotes open markets, open systems, open networks and full, fair and open competition in the computer, telecommunications and Internet industries.